OCTOBER 3 - OCTOBER 9, 1998
OCTOBER 9, 1998
This is the weekend.......
for the fall foliage! Everyone has been busy comparing the leaves this year to the
leaves last year. I vaguely remember that last year's leaves were very beautiful. I also
realize that this fall has been a lot warmer than last year and it seems that the leaves
have not been so eager to change. At least until now, that is; and I am here to tell you
that in the past three days they have begun changing in a big way. This is the weekend.
Many of our readers within a two hundred mile radius have e-mailed us and asked which
weekend is best. This is the one. The weather forecast is for perfect fall days on
Saturday and Sunday. Just to refresh your memories, refer to the September 30th article,
Where I live, to understand what the Allegheny National Forest is all about.
In a four county area we have 520,000 acres of natural splendor. You can easily reach
it from any direction. Interstate 80 is only a half an hour south of the forest providing
access from the east and west. To the north, the New York Southern Tier Expressway
(US 17) is only a stones throw away when you reach Olean or Salamanca, depending on the
direction from which you are traveling. US 219 travels through the center of the forest
coming from North to South. Access from the south can be made using PA routes 62 or 66.
Route 62 follows the Allegheny River and gives a peaceful drive and lovely views of the
river. When you get to Warren take US Route 6 east. Route 59 begins at the eastern end of
Warren and will take you to the Allegheny Reservoir and the Kinzua Dam. It is past the dam
as you climb the mountain into McKean County you will get the full impact of the changing
leaves. In fact all of Route 59 is now ablaze with a mix of colors all the way to
Smethport. If you travel that way, stop in the Rainbow Inn in Marshburg. It is only 14
miles past the dam and you can say hello to Anita and have a 16 ounce Prime Rib for $9.95.
Ask for me. I'll be at the bar.
If you chose to take Route 6 east stop in at the Mineral Well Restaurant. It just past
the turnoff for Route 59 outside of Warren on your left. On Sunday, October 11, they are
hosting their second annual Hot Pepper Festival. The owner, Tony Gigliotti is
locally known for his exotic preparations of peppers. He has continued a tradition which,
according to family legend, began with a relative of Tony's who traveled to the new world
with Christopher Columbus, Franchesco Gigliotti (pronounced Gilotti). At the festival, you
will be allowed to sample some of the specialties handed down through the generations to
Tony's father, A.V. Gigliotti of Walston, PA. Tony welcomes everyone and says: "Ask
about our hot pepper rings, hot or sweet peppers in olive oil, or our roasted hot Italian
Banana Peppers and non-stick Sweet Peppers." He has them available as appetizers on a
regular basis.
All in all, this is the weekend to travel to Northwestern Pennsylvania. This is the
time to enjoy the leaves. Check our other advertisers for lodging information and other
services.
OCTOBER 8, 1988
More about mornings and public funds
It seems to me that many McKean County residents are wondering why we subsidize
Cameron, Elk, and McKean Counties Mental Health and Mental Retardation Agency with tax
payer dollars when they are a supervisory agency, doing no actual treatment, and are 100%
funded by State and Federal dollars.
-Why are we spending $173,500 of our tax dollars a year to support two other counties?
I remember when Potter County was part of that and they left. They must have known
something we didn't. It is time we got out of it too.
-I am in favor of giving the SPCA the extra $6,000 they need and taking it away from
the CEM Agency. It seems to me that many of the places they support treat the same people
over and over with little or no results. I am not someone who does not have a heart. I am
very much aware that some people are sick all of their lives in mental health and
retardation is a permanent condition. But I think that with the proper supervision we
could save money and not need to add extra to their treasury. And it seems they don't have
that evidenced by the wasteful and unnecessary move costing how much? I think the
organization should be shaken up from the top to the bottom. As I understand it and from
what I have read, only you and Weaver are in opposition to anything this woman wants to
do. Is that true? It seems that Stratton goes along with the other counties to keep things
the way they have always been. That means that you can't win no matter what. Give the dogs
and cats the extra money and make the director stay at home and stop traveling.
-I wondered how you were able to finally balance the county budget. It seems that you
guys made the big money spenders come in line. $173,500 doesn't sound like much money when
you are talking about a $26 million dollar budget, but every penny of tax dollars counts
and saving that money could be spent in needier and more critical areas than being a good
neighbor and supporting Cameron and Elk counties.
-You were quick to point out that we were paying most of the Airport budget when there
were other counties voting with more votes than us and not holding up their own weight.
You have said the same about this CEM whatever that means. How did we get involved in
these deals? Why are you the only one complaining? Are you wrong and everyone else right?
Or, Mr. Beck, are you right and everyone else wrong? Why shouldn't we look out for our own
county first and then if there is anything left over, then see if we can't help out our
neighbors. I believe in being a good neighbor only after we have taken care of ourselves
first. Keep up the good work in keeping the people informed.
-I agree with you about CEM being a bureaucracy out of control with no direct
supervision. I have known Cindy Zembryki for many years and you are right about her
traveling across the state without good purpose. She is wasting money and the former
Administrator of CEM grounded her for doing just that. She was a professional meeting
attendee and he got tired of it and put it to an end. Now that she is the Administrator
there is no one to oversee what she does and where she goes. She spends public money
without responsibility or accountability. She proved that with the move and has privately
celebrated the fact that she has destroyed the power of the board to vote on what she does
and doesn't do as evidenced by the move. Her so called emotional interview with WESB when
you called for her resignation in July was an act. She has done that with her voice when
it suits her, when she is nervous, and when she is caught in a lie. Keep it up and don't
give up. You are on the right track.
-I would give the SPCA the $6,000 and another $10,000 on top of that if I were you. I
would also take it away from those CEM people too. I think it is time to stop throwing
good money after bad.
-What do you have against Cameron and Elk Countys? There was never a problem
until you decided you were paying too much. You are large than Cameron and Elk Countys and
you should pay more than we do. We all get the same services. Isn't that what it is about?
-I am from Cameron County and I do not like how you keep knocking us. We are a small
county and our joining with you for certain services should not be an issue. I don't
understand why you worry about money all of the time and ignore the good that those
dollars really do. I cannot believe you would ever consider taking money away and giving
it to the SPCA. Why don't you get a brain for a change.
-I was not aware that money from our County taxes was going to pay for an agency that
spends that money in other counties. I think that is outrageous. While the people in Elk
County and Cameron County enjoy lower taxes we are paying more to support them. I am glad
that you have brought that to our attention. Now do something about it!
-Public programs have long been out of control in both dollars spent and the people in
control who believe that they are irreplaceable and above public supervision. That is what
I see has happened in Cameron, Elk, and McKean Counties Mental Health and Mental
Retardation Agency. Cindy Zembryki is one of those bureaucrats who feels she is above the
people. I have known her and have worked with her. She is a power hoarder and keeps her
subordinates in the dark in order to protect her position. She did the same thing with the
CEM Governing Board and it seems that only you and Mr. Weaver had the brains to see that
and the courage to speak up. I know it didn't do any good but at least you tried. Isn't
that what counts? Maybe some day you will succeed. The people better wake up and
give you the support you need. Before long it will be too late.
Those are ten of fifty-two responses we had to yesterday's article that mentioned CEM
and Cindy Zembryki. We had sixteen others that addressed my wife's ill temper in the
morning.
-If I had to wake up and see you the first thing every morning Bud I would be miserable
to.
-Who can blame Sharyn? Look at you! Get a shave and lose some weight. Then maybe she
would be in a better mood when she gets up. If I were her I would knock the living crap
out of you for even mentioning my name in your daily article. I hope she reads this and
does.
-Looking at you every day would ruin anyone's disposition.
The other thirteen said pretty much the same as those three. I would like to believe
that Cindy Zembryki sent all sixteen, but I know better, she is out of town probably
attending another conference.
By the way, it is now 6 AM and Sharyn got up in a very good mood today and the dogs let me
sleep all night and even the old one, Willie, was good.
OCTOBER 7, 1998
Mornings: How you wake up
When does your day begin? How does it begin? Did you know that the first moment of your
waking day can affect the rest of the day until you finally go back to bed and sleep?
My day begins anywhere between 1:30 and 5 AM. Usually, one of the dogs will wake me up
wanting to go out. For some reason, when I am gone they do not do that to Sharyn. When I
am gone they seem to sleep the entire night. Even the old one, Willie, will not leave
Sharyn the customary present on the rug at the door if she fails to get up for them. Why
is that?
If I have a bunch of things on my mind when I go to bed I can just about expect that I
will wake at 1:30. Those things will keep me from falling back to sleep and out of
frustration, I will get up. This is budget time for the County and I keep this computer in
contact with my computer at work and I do work on the budget three or four mornings a
week. Really, it is easy working on the budget at that time rather than during the work
day because the phones are not ringing and there is no new crisis with which to contend. I
can post changes in the day as time permits and then refine them "in the wee hours of
the morning."
Waking up with the budget on my mind will certainly influence my day. When later in the
day when some of my favorite people come in asking for new programs or more money in
wages, you can just about guess what I might say; and, you can probably hear my blood
pressure increase.
The SPCA asked for $10,000 from the County this year instead of the $4,000 we give
them. They are where they always were. They have not embarked on any program to expand
facilities. No. They are just trying to survive. As Larry Stratton was discussing this
with me CEM (Cameron, Elk, and McKean Counties Mental Health and Mental Retardation)
called wondering who was coming to sign their checks this Thursday. I have refused to sign
any more because of Cindy Zembryki's administration of CEM and her squandering of
financial resources on unnecessary moves and improvements.
In the budget so far there is $173,500 for our share of CEM. That is more than what
Cameron and Elk Counties pay combined. Mental Health and Mental Retardation programs are
funded by the State and Federal Governments. They are funded at 100% of their cost. No one
is able to explain to me why we must pay anything.
Before taking office in 1996, CYS used to cost McKean County anywhere from $500,000 to
$1,000,000 in what was known as overmatch. That was a nice way of saying that we were
spending more than what we were receiving. That changed one day in February, 1996 when the
director was told to live within his budget or else. Guess what? He did and has ever
since.
The same was true of Sena Kean Manor. The county was reimbursed 95.5% of legal
expenses. The lions share of reimbursement was Medicaid (State welfare funding). We farmed
out Medicare reimbursements such as rehabilitative services, etc. and carried an extremely
low bed rate for Medicare (about half of the other facilities in the county).
Our Medicare reimbursements were only 35% of what other nursing homes in the county
were receiving for the exact same services. At the same time we had private pay patients
who paid us cash. Their payments plus Medicare should have been more than enough to cover
our 4.5% yet somehow they weren't. Why? Why did the county lose money then on Sena Kean
Manor and we now make money? Could it be that County Commissioners concerned with the
bottom line made a difference? Was that why the Administrator and the Fiscal Manager both
resigned? Decide for yourself.
Then there is CEM and Cindy Zembryki. See what I mean about how you get up in the
morning! The SPCA needs an additional $6,000 this year and I think we should take it
from CEM and give it to them. The $173,500 doesn't go to treatment programs for the
Mentally Retarded or the Mentally Ill.
The $173,500 supports the administration of a bureaucracy that believes that it needs
new surroundings for more money and new computers and new phones and new carpeting and
private parking. The $173,500 supports the Administrator traveling the state going to
Managed Care meetings when McKean County will be lucky to see Managed Care before the year
2112.
The $173,500 we pay every year is squandered and we could use that money to support
programs that do not already have 100% funding from the State and Federal Governments. If
Cameron and Elk Counties want CEM in lavish surrounding and if they want Cindy Zembryki
traveling the state wasting money attending every meeting that means nothing to us, then
let them pay our share like we do for them at the Airport.
Budget time! See how I wake up in the morning. My wife on the other hand, doesn't wake
up peaceful like me. She complains that I got out of bed and woke her. She complains that
I closed the door and woke her. She complains that I turned the outside light on and woke
her. She complains that I beat the dog and woke her. She complains that I typed too loud
on the computer and woke her. It seems to me that when she wakes up, all she does is
complain. Why can't she be peaceful like me. It is now 4 AM.
OCTOBER 6, 1998
Why Tuesday?
Shortly, between ten and eleven this morning, more people will log on to this web site
than in any other hour in the entire week. Can you explain that to me?
Between ten and eleven on Tuesdays is usually a busy time for me. We always seem to be
in a meeting about one thing or another. I can't remember when I last had a Tuesday off.
Why then do so many people read The Publisher's Page on this day at that particular time?
Tuesdays are lousy days for bars. Customers are worn out from the weekend and tired
from staying up watching Monday Night Football. The restaurant business, aside from
business lunches, stinks, too. If you have a dinner special like two spaghetti dinners for
the price of one, Tuesday night is the time to run it. I wonder if Pete at The Downbeat in
Bradford is still running that? Senior citizens really go for specials like that, and as I
get older it becomes more appealing to me, too.
Tuesdays follow rainy Mondays. Tuesdays are good days to have ten cent chicken wings.
Tuesday television programming isn't as powerful as Monday or Wednesday and it seems to
draw the sitcoms and television news programs that will not be renewed next season, or
even make it through this one. Are Tuesdays cursed?
Evidently not for The Mountain Laurel Review. Overall, Tuesdays are our busiest
day. They always have been. Even at our worst time, one to two in the morning, Tuesdays
have twice the readership of any other day. Don't ask me to explain that. I can't!
If Mondays were weak, I could understand it. I could pass it off by saying that no one
got around to reading us since Friday and they were just catching up on Tuesday. That is
not the case. I have e-mail asking why I don't write on Saturday or Sunday, or at least
have a guest writer on those two days? From the trend report I receive each week, we start
high on Monday, hit a peak on Tuesday, and then drop a bit for the rest of the week. In
all, our readership stays even for the week with us picking up new readers every day. I
never imagined that. Do you think people like my picture better than my writing?
A man from Chicago recently told me he like the story I did on the death of Robert
Young, Who Knows Best Now? I can't remember what day of the week I wrote that, but I liked
writing it, too. I considered that a real compliment considering the man was from Chicago
and had the opportunity to read Mike Royko (may he rest in peace) all those years. Not to
be so bold, I just enjoyed the compliment from Chicago. Thanks.
Tuesdays are interesting days for me. The local paper reports on the Commissioner's
Meeting on Monday and I get to read about what I did or did not say. Many times the
coverage of the meeting makes me wonder if I was even there. Old Joe Suain, a World War II
veteran from Hazelhurst, came yesterday. He started picking on Jim Buck from The Era
because he didn't give even one line to Joe at a meeting talking about the flag. Joe
didn't understand and still doesn't understand that to Jim, that wasn't a news worthy
item. I haven't read the paper today, but I will just about guarantee it that Jim didn't
mention Joe bringing the issue up again.
I tried to bring some levity to the situation by reminding Joe that this is Newspaper
Week. (Who thought that one up?) I asked him to take it easy on Jim. No doubt to real
writers, like Jim, this is a special time, kind of like your birthday. People should be
nice to you on your birthday, just like we should be nice to news reporters in Newspaper
Week. We should all send cards to our favorite local newspapers before this week ends. We
should all call our favorite newspaper publisher and wish him or her a Happy Newspaper
Week, too.
Anyway, Joe Suain is a man who proudly served his country and is proud of our flag. I
am disturbed when some of the local media people roll their eyes and act bored when people
like Joe, or Gail Causer, or Jay Todd and others, ask questions at the meetings. The media
should know better. These are public meetings. They are not held just so the media can
paraphrase and misrepresent what is really going on. It means the public is invited. They
are invited to attend and participate if they would like and ask the same questions the
media can. It is democracy at its best. Comments like: "I can see what kind of
meeting this is going to be," when some of our citizens show up are totally uncalled
for and unprofessional. (By the way, Jim Buck did not say that. It was someone else.)
What about freedom of speech? That means more than being able to legally misquote me or
say things about me that aren't true and get away with it because I have made myself a
public figure. Freedom of Speech means a man like Joe- in fact, especially a man like Joe,
who fought for this country and the world's freedom, has the right to come to our public
meetings and say what he damn well pleases! He has earned his right and has defended your
right to do just that. If you and I have the right to write what we want, Joe can say what
he wants, too. The last time I checked, this was still America.
So there you have it. Tuesdays. I can't explain it. All I can say to all of you who
have taken your time to read these words is Thank You very, very much. God Bless all of
you.
OCTOBER 5, 1998
Angels and corrections
Chris wrote: "Bud, Teddy Roosevelt was a Republican! You should have known that
because you have a lot in common with him. You both fought the good old boys of the
party."
Thanks, Chris. I wrote back: "Opps! But can't you just imagine Betty charging up
San Juan Hill!" Chris was right. I should have known that. It must have been one of
those momentary lapses that comes from having too much time on my hands. Or, maybe the
angels misled me.
What?
Sharyn and I went to Pittsburgh this weekend for a wedding reception. We needed the
break. Both of us were beat and just needed to get away. The Sheraton at Station Square is
one of our favorite places in Pittsburgh and Station Square is a fun place. We spent some
time shopping and some quality time, eating.
We both love the Grand Concourse. I wrote about a very pleasant experience we had
there in August, and we managed to eat there on Friday night for dinner, and again, on
Sunday for brunch. Both the meals and the service were excellent, as usual. This is
a place that is in walking distance from the hotel and has one of the most charming
atmospheres you can imagine. It was once the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad Station.
This place is a must if you want to get away for a casual weekend. Anyway, back to the
angels.
Many of us are familiar with Monica - not Clinton's Monica - but rather Monica the
Irish angel from Touched by an Angel, CBS - Sundays, 8PM. She is on weekly with Tess and
Andrew, two other angels sent by God to convey his message of love for mankind.
I was told about angels first by my mother, and then by the nuns in the Catholic
Schools. I remember the picture of the little boy reaching out over a cliff to catch a
butterfly and his guardian angel behind him reaching to keep him from falling. I always
wondered about my guardian angel back in those days. I believe that I had one even though
I wasn't exposed to any special danger other than ducking and occasional baseball or
punch, and getting sacked as I tried to throw the football. I am sure that my guardian
angel found duty pretty boring until I went off to college, and then the service.
Life probably got pretty interesting for my guardian angel in those years. I am sure
that I kept him on his toes, if it was a him. If it was a her, something I have never
thought about before this moment, I probably owe her several hundred apologies for my
behavior. Still, I owe him or her, many thanks for working overtime to protect me from
myself.
I always imagined angels like Monica, Tess, and Andrew. I knew that angels
protected L.A. Rotheraine's tomato plants. That explained why they grew so tall, were so
sweet, and bore so many tomatoes. I was sure that they had personalities that were
perverse and crazy at times, and were out there kicking around taking care of mankind.
Then, on Saturday night, I saw City of Angels.
Sharyn and I were tired. It had been a rainy cold day in Pittsburgh. By six, we were
done in from the reception. We went back to our room and decided to order from room
service and watch a movie. Sharyn claims that she wanted to watch Lethal Weapon IV, but
she wasn't all that convincing. She insists she said to order that movies five or six
times, but I can only remember her saying it once. It is entirely possible that she did
suggest the Mel Gibson movie that many times. My father in law claims that after so many
years a man's defense mechanisms begin to kick in and God, in his wisdom, allows our minds
to tune out our wives and much of their idle chatter. If she did say she wanted to watch
the movie that many times, then I tuned her out.
Anyway, I ordered City of Angels, and have since been accused of having "the hots
for Meg Ryan."
Nicholas Cage plays an angel named Seth and Meg Ryan is a doctor. From television
advertising I already knew that Nicholas Cage was going to fall in love with Meg Ryan. It
was categorized in the movie listings as a comedy, but there was nothing really funny
about this movie that was in fact, a drama. That fact did not cause the conflict between
Sharyn and me. The conflict arose out of the way the angels were portrayed. They weren't
like Monica, Tess and Andrew.
The angels in this movie were different from any angels we have ever seen (in movies
that is) and will probably never be portrayed like this ever again. Still, I liked these
angels because this is probably how they really are.
All the angels wore black. All black- pants, shirt and coat - black! When they were not
present as some one died, or were in their room when they were sick, they were in the
public library reading over the shoulders of the people who were there. Seth liked Ernest
Hemmingway and even borrowed the book and put it on Meg Ryan's bed stand with a favorite
page marked. At sunrise and sunset the angels would assemble on the beach. They supposedly
heard music at those times of the day. They were never hungry and never felt emotion.
While they sat on buildings and the top of bridges, they could not feel the wind on their
faces.
Seth kept a book. He would ask people what they like most about life when they died.
Many said they like the feeling of wind on their faces. While I like it sometimes, the
wind on my face is not in my top ten favorite things about life. Later in the movie,
however, Seth does stumble on two of my favorite things.
Sharyn objected to these witless and dull angels. She thought it was not proper to
portray an angel as some dopey spirit intently watching cartoons over the shoulder of a
sick kid in the hospital. Many of us would even object to this movie telling us that
humans cannot ever become angels. The movie points out that the angels were created to
assist God in his work and are beings totally separate from human beings. When Seth takes
a small girl to heaven and she wants to be an angel, he wants to mislead her. He wants to
give her some paper wings so she can play being an angel. His friend tells him that he
cannot do that. He must tell the truth.
This movie is far from winning any type of award for anything. It is slow but the sound
track is great and I bought it yesterday for the trip home. While the movie and the
writing and the pace may leave a bit to be desired, I would watch this one several more
times just because of the angels and the guy who plays the fat cop on NYPD Blue, who is a
former angel who used his free will to fall and become human. The angels in this movie fit
into my perception of what these spirits must be like.
They don't speak with Irish accents and are pretty with red hair and are always bubbly
or serious. Just once I'd like to see Monica bitchy with PMS telling Andrew to shut his
mouth and that God can't stand him and that is why he is the Angel of Death. But Touched
by an Angel is produced by the same people who give Bill Clinton his material on how to
mislead us and misdirect the media. They are experts at spin and misdirection and that is
why I refuse to believe in Monica and Tess even if they do make me cry every week.
No, my guardian angel, who has been through a whole lot with me, has to be one of those
guys hanging out in the library just to maintain sanity. I can imagine him sitting on top
of my house watching the sunrise and listening for the music, the whole time shivering in
the February air that is somewhere below zero, asking himself why he drew me. "Am I
being punished?" he probably has asked more than once, just as Seth does at the end
of the movie.
To my guardian angel: I'm sorry for all the trouble I have caused you. You must have
screwed up really bad to have been given me. I don't care what that other angel told Seth.
You are being punished and I do like your black coat.
OCTOBER 3-4, 1998
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